Poetry by Deborah Saki

I wrap my intentions in the brightly colored fabrics of my home,

(And) fold them into the recesses of my heart,

when the officer at the immigration desk asks, “What is your business here?”

I say my letters well-rehearsed –

The degree, the research, the advancement of science.

Against his probing gaze

I bid my intentions: lie still.

Not to stir, restless within themselves,

Lest they reveal themselves as the dark shadows in my pupils,

As the red in my eye

Or slip out of my mouth,

and stain my lips with the color of ambition, of lies,

Of a new name, a new country, a new passport.

Bio
Deborah Saki is a budding Ghanaian writer who seeks to capture her most poignant moments and observations in words. Her work has previously appeared in the Kalahari Review. She reviews books on Instagram at @deborahsakireads_